FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dr. James Deom urges eye exams for patients taking GLP-1 medications

After new FDA safety labeling, NEPA optometrist recommends a comprehensive dilated exam with OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photography, and same-day care for sudden vision loss

HAZLE TOWNSHIP, PA, November 10, 2026. On November 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that all GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines used for type 2 diabetes and weight management must add labeling about a potential increased risk of a rare optic nerve condition called NAION.¹ James Deom, OD, MPH, FAAO, is recommending that patients who are starting or already taking these medicines have a comprehensive, dilated eye examination that includes OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photography, both as a baseline and for follow-up.

Dr. Deom, Chief of Eye Care Services at Eye Specialists of NEPA and 2024 president of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, recommends that every patient in this group have that exam and imaging, and that they seek same-day care for sudden vision loss in one eye. In his words as a practice recommendation: Dr. James Deom recommends that everyone starting or taking a GLP-1 medication have a comprehensive dilated eye exam with OCT, OCT angiography (OCTA), and retinal photography (fundus photos with autofluorescence) as a baseline and for follow-up, and seek same-day care for sudden vision loss.

“These medicines help many people, and the eye risk described by the FDA is rare,” said Dr. Deom. “I still want every patient who is starting or taking a GLP-1 medicine to have a careful, dilated exam that includes OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photographs. That visit gives us a baseline we can compare later, lets us look for other eye disease, and helps us document whether the optic nerve is naturally crowded. If vision ever changes suddenly, that is a same-day emergency — please don’t wait.”

NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) occurs when blood flow to the front of the optic nerve is reduced. It can cause sudden, painless vision loss in one eye. The FDA describes it as rare,¹ and research continues to clarify its relationship with GLP-1 medicines. Studies do not all agree on the size of any added risk, or whether the link is causal. For many patients, these treatments offer substantial benefits, and medication decisions should be made with the prescribing clinician.

Professional guidance is not identical

Dr. Deom’s recommendation is his clinical opinion. Professional groups offer related, but not identical, advice:

• The American Optometric Association recommends an in-person, comprehensive, dilated exam within the 12 months before starting a GLP-1 medicine, or a baseline exam within one month afterward.²
• The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society do not recommend a routine eye exam solely to predict NAION, because current evidence does not support that practice. They do advise patients with diabetes to continue regular diabetic eye exams, and they recommend shared decision-making if NAION occurs rather than automatically stopping the medicine.³
• The FDA instructs patients to report sudden vision changes immediately and, after a NAION event, to talk with their clinician about whether to continue or stop.¹ The European Medicines Agency has concluded that NAION is a “very rare” side effect of semaglutide and that semaglutide should be stopped if NAION is confirmed.⁴

“I respect that colleagues in ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology do not recommend an exam only to try to predict NAION, and I agree that no test can reliably predict or prevent it,” Dr. Deom said. “I still recommend the exam, with OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photographs, because a baseline record is useful if vision changes later, and because the same visit can show other eye disease and the appearance of the optic nerve.”

Imaging at all five offices

All five Eye Specialists of NEPA offices — Hazleton, Stroudsburg, Nanticoke, Pottsville, and Bangor — have optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography (OCTA), and fundus photography with autofluorescence, the imaging set in Dr. Deom’s recommendation. In his practice, OCT is used to record baseline nerve-fiber and ganglion-cell thickness and disc structure; OCTA to record baseline blood flow around the optic nerve and in the macula; and photographs with autofluorescence to record disc appearance, crowding, possible disc drusen, and retinal disease. These tools provide a baseline for comparison over time. They have not been shown to predict or prevent NAION.

“Technology is most useful when it is paired with a doctor who knows what to look for and how to interpret the findings,” Dr. Deom said. “Our goal is to turn that information into a practical care plan and coordinate with the clinician managing the patient’s medication.”

A practical eye care plan

Patients should mention sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, and any previous optic nerve problem. A naturally crowded optic disc or optic disc drusen may also affect the assessment. Having a risk factor does not mean a patient will develop NAION.

Dr. Deom suggests the following approach, with timing adjusted to each patient’s exam findings and history:

• Get the baseline exam. Make sure you have a recent comprehensive dilated exam with OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photography (fundus photos with autofluorescence). The American Optometric Association’s timing — within the 12 months before starting, or within one month afterward — is a practical window.²
• Plan follow-up imaging. Dr. Deom recommends repeating that exam and imaging at a reasonable interval, individualized to the findings, and sooner if the doctor advises it. Continue routine eye care, including diabetic eye exams, which are typically yearly. Patients with abnormal optic nerve findings, prior NAION, or other significant eye disease may need earlier review, sometimes at three to six months, as determined by their doctor.
• Act on symptoms immediately. Sudden dimming, blurred vision, a missing area of vision, or another abrupt change in one eye requires same-day assessment. Patients should not wait for a scheduled checkup and should contact their prescribing clinician promptly.

No imaging test or fixed examination schedule has been proven to predict or prevent NAION. Follow-up is meant to assess eye health, manage existing disease, and respond to each patient’s findings. Medication changes should always be coordinated with the prescribing clinician.

Patients taking or considering a GLP-1 medicine can request a comprehensive eye health evaluation at Hazleton, Stroudsburg, Pottsville, Nanticoke, and Bangor Eye Specialists: drkislan.com/our-locations.

About Dr. James Deom and Eye Specialists of NEPA

Dr. James Deom, OD, MPH, FAAO, FSLS, is Chief of Eye Care Services at Eye Specialists of NEPA and served as president of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association in 2024. Eye Specialists of NEPA provides comprehensive eye care and the diagnosis and management of eye disease across five northeastern Pennsylvania offices.

Media contact: Dr. James Deom, Hazleton Eye Specialists · 570-453-2020 · drkislan.com

Sources 1. FDA Drug Safety Communication, Nov 9, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-communications/fda-requires-safety-labeling-changes-glucagon-peptide-1-receptor-agonists-glp-1-ras-due-potential 2. AOA clinical report, June 2025. https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Documents/Practice%20Management/Clinical%20Guidelines/AOA%20GLP-1_EBO_clinical-report.pdf 3. AAO & NANOS consensus statement (May 2026): https://www.aao.org/education/clinical-statement/glucagon-like-peptide-1-receptor-agonists-risk-of- · News release, Sep 22, 2026: https://www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/what-data-say-about-glp-1-drugs-vision-loss 4. EMA PRAC, Jun 6, 2025. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/prac-concludes-eye-condition-naion-very-rare-side-effect-semaglutide-medicines-ozempic-rybelsus-wegovy